El Rancho Restaurant moves ‘west of border’

BROOKINGS – They were a hit in Montevideo, and they were a hit in Marshall. Now the Leon family wants its Mexican restaurant to be a hit in Brookings.

El Rancho Mexican Restaurant opened its doors for business in downtown Brookings this week, bringing fajitas and margaritas to a Main Avenue location previously occupied by a chicken-and-pizza eatery.

The Brookings restaurant, located at 410 Main Ave., is the logical next step for the family business. With two operations just across the border in Minnesota, heading westward to Brookings seemed a good idea for a third, says Yury Leon, El Rancho’s manager and co-owner.

“We opened here because it was not too far from Marshall, and there seems to be enough business for another Mexican restaurant in Brookings,” Leon says with a smile. “A little competition makes us all better.”